The Great Smoky Mountains, what a place to be. Matt and I go on vacation every year and always try to discover somewhere new. Last year we went to Yellowstone National Park and a few other parks in the surrounding area…we absolutely LOVED it!

So…this time we decided to find another National Park and actually go hiking deep within it. Two months before our trip, we booked a cozy AirBnb and planned out the trails and spots we wanted to experience in the Tennessee smokies.

DAY 1 – RELAX DAY

The vacation finally began when we packed our car, drove eight hours south to Tennessee, journeyed through the winding mountain roads and arrived at that cozy Airbnb.

Day one was our relax day, we watched the storm pass and drove to get Big Daddy’s Pizza and called it a night. Let me tell you, here in Indiana it takes about five minutes to drive a few miles but in the Smoky Mountains, it took twenty! It was absurd but at least it was a gorgeous view.

DAY 2 – CLINGMANS DOME & ALUM CAVE TRAIL

Our second day began with a rainy early morning drive to Clingmans Dome. The higher up we got, the more foggy it became…we got a little worried but thought it would be just fine.

We also had read that the hike up to the view is really hard yet worth it, so we gave it a try. After about ten steps, we were already feeling it but we pushed through and by golly we got up there….with hardly any view to see.

We should have known the fog would block the gorgeous overlook…we were definitely newbies to the area.

A little frustrated with the Clingmans Dome hike, we decided to go try a REAL trail. We arrived at the trailhead for Alum Cave off Newfound Gap road and it was raining!

Thank goodness for raincoats and waterproof backpacks! Our first moderate hike consisting of 4.4 miles (roundtrip) and an elevation gain of 1,125 feet…we were READY!

Walking through the mountains while passing beautiful streams and friendly hikers was therapeutic…except for the thought of “omg a bear is going to pop out in front of us somewhere” in the back of my mind.

It downpoured a few times on our way to the end of the trail but once we got to the Bluffs…it was a miracle and stopped raining…it was like the heaven gates opening. It was just beautiful and mind blowing how much our hard work paid off.

We sat under the cave and had a delicious lunch while watching the clouds pass over the mountains.

DAY 3 – BILTMORE MANSION & CADES COVE

Waking up quite early on the third day, we had planned to go see the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. The drive there and back was fairly interesting. On the way there, we saw chicken crossing signs and homes of the mountain folk. After two hours, we had finally arrived at the destination for the day.

In my mind, I imagined to pull up to this huge mansion like you see in the movies…it did not go that way exactly. We parked our cars and took a bus to the estate.

Then our journey started at the gardens, it was enormous and full of beauty. We then took a tour inside the mansion holding 250 rooms full of antique furniture, delicate wallpaper and ravishing ceilings.

It was a good half day trip and definitely worth the drive to experience something so historic and marvelous.

On the way home, we decided to check out Cades Cove. Initially, we had plans to bike the loop Saturday morning but decided not to. It was around 5:00 when we arrived, a perfect time for wildlife to come out.

As we passed a small forested area, just as the sun began to cut through the trees, we spied movement out of the corner of our eyes. We both gasped as we saw dozens of horses galloping full force across a beautiful open field.

With the mountains just behind them, they were so free and full of life after a long day. Though we did not see any other wildlife besides horses, a buck and a cute little coyote, it was still an amazing drive through the valley.

DAY 4 – APPALACHIAN TRAIL (CHARLIES BUNION)

Slowly, day four had arrived. It was time to do one of the biggest hikes in our LIFETIME…the Appalachian Trail to Charlies Bunion. I’m not going to lie…I almost chickened out on this one.

This strenuous hike is 8.1 miles (roundtrip) with an elevation gain of 1,640 feet just off the Newfound Gap parking lot.

We decided to get there at nine in the morning and begin the long walk. There was hardly anyone around at the beginning…and I was extremely nervous. What if a bear comes out? Will my legs randomly stop working? What if I were to trip on the rocky path and fall down the steep hills?

To help my anxiety, I brought a bluetooth speaker and played the album ‘Evolve’ by Imagine Dragons. Not only would this help time go by, but it would scare of the bears…right? It’s what helped me enjoy this hike. This album was honestly perfect and I will always relate it to this day.

 

“I was seeking higher elevation” – Imagine Dragons, Rise Up

ARRIVAL

After about two hours, we had arrived at Charlies Bunion. After coming out of the deep woods, the sky opened up and we saw the mountains at its finest.

We met several hikers at the peak and everyone was just so nice! Some people from Louisiana and some from AUSTRALIA! We snapped some photos and Matt asked me to follow him…so I did.

He told me to set up the tripod so we could take a photo together. I hear the timer going off as I run back to him for a pose. Snap! The photo is taken. He asks me to do another one. I click the shutter and the timer goes off once again and I run back to him.

He faces me and gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him. Of course I say yes but oh so quietly because I was in shock. At this point, this was one of the best smoky mountain hikes I have ever done.

We headed back on the trail to go home. We did divert our path to go see the Jump Off but turned around quickly because the trail got very dense.

As we were approaching the end, there was a couple who we like to call the “final boss.” Bombarding us with questions about the trail and what we saw…at that point we just wanted to get to the car and guzzle down our ice cold Gatorades.

We finally got to the car, drove home, took a long nap and when we woke up, we had Ski Mountain Pizza to celebrate our engagement!

DAY 5 & 6 – WATERFALLS & GHOST TOWN

Honestly, I’ve lost track of what day we did what. I believe on our last day, we checked out Laurel Falls which was okay.

It was awfully crowded and the waterfall was decent but nothing too spectacular. We decided to check out the Elkmont Ghost Town in Gatlinburg. It started as an Appalachian Club for the community to vacation to in the 1900’s.

If you ever want to see abandoned buildings without getting into trouble, Elkmont is the way to go. It is just inside the Elkmont Campground. Take a left into the grounds and soon veer left uphill and you will arrive at the parking lot for the town.

Our final hike was the easy Grotto Falls trail with a round trip of 2.6 miles and several hundred feet elevation gain…easy peasy!

I was still worried we would see a bear on this trail since there have been a lot of sightings on this path. The ground was full of vines and rocks but it was still so easy compared to what we had done already on the trip.

After an hour or so, we finally arrive to the huge waterfall that you can either walk around or even swim in! The water was freezing and we had hiking gear on…so we passed on the wading part.

I snapped some cool long exposure shots, got some selfies and both of us just enjoyed our final waterfall of the vacation. As we left, a couple mentioned that two bears had just come down to visit the hikers…we got lucky on that one!

The last night, we finally got around to watching the sun set. This was the perfect end to our vacation…seeing the red sun set behind the blue hazy mountains.

This trip was one for the books, it was just so amazing and I cannot put into words how I feel about this whole vacation. Being in the mountains really does help clear your mind and boost your motivation.

I felt so inspired to create and felt so blessed with my life I am living. If you ever need somewhere awesome to go, the Smoky Mountains are a spectacular choice. We can still hear them calling our names begging us to explore some more. The Smoky’s will now hold a special place in our hearts.

We accomplished a huge goal, we discovered a beautiful album and Matt proposed to me there. If you want to read more about exploring, be sure to check out my other travel posts.

Where have you been that has turned your way of thinking around?